74 
HISTORY OF ANCONAS 
Good Laying Demonstration 
The Milwaukee National Poultry 
Show, December, 1923, had over 3000 
birds on exhibition. There were but 
99 Anconas—72 females and 27 males. 
The 72 Ancona hens and pullets laid 
more eggs than all other varieties com¬ 
bined during the show! 
There is nothing unusual about this 
performance, as Anconas are showing 
the world at every opportunity that 
they beat all other breeds for egg pro¬ 
duction. 
C. R. Waltamath, 30 Woodside Ave., 
Gloversville, N. Y.: I think more every 
year of the Anconas. I have a back 
yard in the city, and have 72 pullets 
hatched after middle of May; began 
laying Sept. 30. I gathered 56 eggs to¬ 
day (Dec. 8), and they are ga’n'ng 
every day. 
Adolf Dittmann of Brownsville, Tex., 
had an Ancona cockerel crow at the 
age of one month and one day. 
Lingerlonger Ancona Farm, Weau- 
bleau, Mo., had Ancona cockerels 
crowing when but eleven days old— 
not just one, but over a dozen of them. 
F. G. Fish, Ashboro, N. Car., has 101 
Anconas and 33 Plymouth Rocks. The 
Rocks eat as much as all the Anconas. 
At eight weeks old the Ancona chicks 
weighed two ounces each more, than 
the Rock chicks, all in the same brood. 
Mrs. E. S. Larson, Route 5, Chanute, 
Kansas, raised four hundred Ancona 
chicks under one hover in 1922, and 
did not have one die. Cockerels in 
the bunch began crowing when seven¬ 
teen days old. 
ANCONAS VS. MEAT BREEDS 
By Leo M. French 
I used to carry Rhode Island Reds 
and Orpingtons, and now have 40 An¬ 
conas in the pens that would accom¬ 
modate but 30 of the heavier breeds. 
In feeding I used 15 for a unit with 
the meat breeds. With Anconas I use 
20 for a unit. I feed exactly the same 
amount to 40 Anconas that I did to 30 
of the heavier birds,—a gain of 33 1-3 
per cent of egg producing machinery 
without a cent of cost to operate. 
Another point is the weight. You 
hear it said that when you get through 
with a heavy breed, you have some¬ 
thing to sell. Conceded. But take 
them as a pen (or a flock.) 
The 30 Reds here mentioned should 
weigh 195 pounds. The 40 Anconas 
should weigh 180 pounds. What does 
the extra 15 pounds amount to, com¬ 
pared to the product of the 10 extra 
Anconas? 
Early Ancona Breeders in America. 
The names of breeders who first 
were interested in Anconas in America, 
are J. C. Branthoover, Huntington, 
West Virginia; Francis Mortimer, 
Pottsville, Pennsylvania; William Ed¬ 
ward Penny, Millerstown, New York. 
The details and date of the importa- 
• • 
tions of Anconas from England by 
these breeders is uncertain, but they 
were Ancona pioneers and without 
doubt were the men who first intro¬ 
duced the breed into this country. 
